Review Summary: That guitar. Are you feeling sleepy yet?
2 of 4 thought this review was well writtenThat guitar. Are you feeling sleepy yet?
The opening chords on the title track of the album make you want to crawl into your bed again. And it's fitting really, since folk musician Nick Drake was up recording this at midnight. Unlike his other albums, this is mainly just Drake on the guitar. It's a much more heartfelt, personal, and depressing album than his first two--it's also my favorite. The polar opposite of '70s progressive-rock behemoths, the simplicity of this album is refreshing.
On every track, Nick Drake is pouring his heart into them, with aching honesty. I was saddened when I found out Nick Drake had died so young at 26 years old, two years after he recorded Pink Moon. He died on an overdose of a prescribed antidepressant, possibly accidental. But the beauty of this recording lives on. At just under half an hour and 11 songs, none of them exceed four minutes. There are no horrible dragging tracks that seem to last forever, a common problem with excellent albums (see the Rolling Stone's Aftermath and the song "Goin' Home").
Though no track is bad by any means, there are some highlights. The first track, Pink Moon a beautiful, sparse track with a short lyric. It was used in a Volkswagen commercial. The follow-up track, Place To Be, is a gorgeous song. The lyrics are magnificent, and the song is over quickly with three short verses. This song just makes me want to break down and cry. How could one man create a song so divine?
The shortest song on the album, an instrumental, Horn, adds a great touch to the album. The track is almost naked, with barely anything going on, but somehow, it generates an unbelievable amount of emotion. The next track, is quite different. The first song on the album in a minor key, and one of the longer songs, the guitar playing is great. The minor-key verses to major-key chorus change is fluid and gives the song some nice variety. The lyrics are strange, and I'm not quite sure what they mean, but this is still a great song.
The last track on the album is possible the most emotional. The lyrics are fantastic and uplifting.
"A day once dawned, and it was beautiful
A day once dawned from the ground
Then the night she fell and the air was beautiful
The night she fell all around"
In fact, a lyric from the song was engraved on Nick Drake's tombstone. From The Morning is the perfect closer to the album, again just with Nick and his guitar.
This album truly should be more popular. It is possibly the best folk album from the '70's (besides Blood on The Tracks). Every track is bare and simple, but can still convey so many emotions. I highly recommend Pink Moon. A perfect album to listen to in the middle of the night.
